Since April 12, 2023, Pokémon Stadium has been playable on Nintendo Switch, in the Nintendo 64 catalog of the Nintendo Switch Online subscription. It is now the easiest way to discover the game, but not the most complete: everything that relied on the Transfer Pak is gone. Here is what you need to know before diving in.

The Game Boy cartridge selection screen, unusable in the Switch version: no Transfer Pak is emulated (English version).

How to Play

  • Subscription required: Nintendo Switch Online with the Expansion Pack, the tier that gives access to Nintendo 64 games. The basic subscription is not enough.
  • Where to find it: in the Nintendo 64 app of Nintendo Switch Online, now filed under the Nintendo Classics banner, alongside Pokémon Snap and Pokémon Puzzle League.
  • Its sequel, Pokémon Stadium 2, joined the catalog on August 8, 2023.
  • The game was released on the same day in all regions.

What Works

  • All the cups of the Stadium, with the Rental Pokémon.
  • The Gym Leader Castle, the battle against Mewtwo and Round 2.
  • The Kids Club and its nine mini-games, for up to four players.
  • Free Battle and Event Battle.
  • Online play: the Nintendo Switch Online emulator lets you play with others remotely, each on their own console, as if the controllers were plugged into the same Nintendo 64. Battles with friends and mini-games benefit from it.
  • Emulator features: save points at any time and a rewind of a few seconds, very handy after an unlucky critical hit.
Mewtwo.

What Does Not Work

Pokémon Stadium on Switch works like the original cartridge, but with no link at all to the Game Boy games. In practice:

Psyduck.
Pikachu.
  • no Pokémon from your cartridges: only Rental Pokémon can be used;
  • no GB Tower to play Red, Blue or Yellow on your television;
  • no Lab: no PC, no Pokédex, no trades;
  • no gift Pokémon: the Gym Leader Castle gifts and the Psyduck from the Victory Palace cannot be received anywhere;
  • no Surfing Pikachu: the challenge requires six Pokémon from a cartridge.

A significant part of the game disappears as a result, especially for those who approached it as a companion to their Game Boy games. For battles and mini-games, however, the experience is complete.

Can You Unlock Everything on Switch?

Yes, for the most part. All the cups, the Castle, Mewtwo and Round 2 can be completed with Rental Pokémon, including Mew in Round 2. Only the rewards that go through a Game Boy cartridge remain out of reach. And the Victory Palace cannot be completed: Mewtwo is never lent out.

Mew.

Our Verdict

The Switch version is ideal for rediscovering the 3D battles, the announcer and the mini-games, especially with others online. But it does not replace the Nintendo 64: what made Pokémon Stadium special in 2000, battling your own Pokémon from Red, Blue or Yellow on the television, is not possible there. Our full review looks at how the game holds up today.